Diderot lauds Cognac

Diderot, the great Enlightenment philosopher, mentions Cognac in his famous Encyclopedia as “renowned for its brandies ”.

The first Cognac companies

Starting at the end of the 17th century and more markedly during the next century, the market began to take shape and Cognac companies were created in the main cities of the region. These merchants, mostly from the British Isles, collected eaux-de-vie from local growers and sent them off to the countries of Northern Europe (Martell 1715, Rémy Martin 1724, Delamain 1759, Hine 1763, Hennessy 1765, Otard 1795…).

Establishment of regular trade with Northern Europe

Regular trade quickly developed with European buyers and new relations developed with two new markets: America and the Far East.